By Scott Gilfoid: I almost chocked on my cornflakes today when I read that Golden Boy Promotions CEO Richard Schaefer was making comparisons between David Haye and Muhammad Ali after Haye was able to defeat the big slow moving 7-foot Russian WBA heavyweight champion Nikolay Valuev by a 12 round majority decision last Saturday night in Nuremburg, Germany.

I know Schaefer was just trying to get some press for Haye since he’s interested in promoting him to American audiences, but to compare him to Ali of all people after only three heavyweight fights in Haye’s entire career. That for me was hilarious. Haye has fought Monte Barrett, Tomasz Bonin and now Valuev, three very beatable heavyweights if I ever saw one, and we’re now to think that Haye is the next Ali? Boy, that’s rich.

If that’s all it takes to be compared to Ali then I’m disappointed in the measuring stick that Schaefer is using to appraise fighters. Haye, however, thankfully doesn’t see himself as in the same league as Ali, saying “Ali was the greatest and I’ve had one heavyweight title win, that’s it, so I can’t come close to even being mentioned in the same way as Ali,” in an article by Reuters.

That’s nice to know, Haye. Of course Haye can’t, because he hasn’t fought anyone with a pulse and Valuev was considered to be a paper champion by many boxing fans a long time ago. Beating him proves nothing and the way that Haye beat him, by hitting and running all night long, was not exactly an Ali like performance in my view.

Ali may have done his fair share of hit and running, but he was never afraid to stand his ground and trade. He would back up against the ropes or stand in the center of the ring and go at it against his opponents, even against the harder punchers like George Foreman, Sonny Liston, and Ken Norton. Haye didn’t show that against Valuev, an arguably weak puncher. Can anyone really picture Ali running from Valuev all night long? I know I can’t. Ali would have used some movement, but he would have stood his ground and hammered Valuev if they had fought.

Haye further says, “As long as I’m talked about in 50 years as a great heavyweight I know that I would have done my job.” Come again? As long as you’re remembered in 50 years as a great heavyweight? How exactly are you going to do that if you’re planning on retiring by 31? Even if Haye beats both Klitschko brothers, which I give him almost zero chance of accomplishing, how would that make Haye a great heavyweight? For me, that doesn’t put Haye into the greatness category.

Wladimir Klitschko has no chin, and Vitali Klitschko is 38, and will likely be 39-years-old by the time that Haye fights him, if he ever does. Vitali has had only a small handful of fights since making a comeback last year following four years of retirement. Beating him at this point wouldn’t be a big deal, not for an Ali-like heavyweight. Ali was beating fighters in their prime, talented fighters most of them. He stuck around for years and did over and over again.

How on earth would Haye be considered great if he was to retire at 31 with wins over the following heavyweights: Monte Barrett, Tomasz Bonin, Nikolay Valuev, John Ruiz, Wladimir Klitschko and Vitali Klitschko. I mean there’s a couple of good names in the bunch with the Klitschko brothers, but I hardly think that would lead to people bestowing the title of greatness on Haye 50 years from now. They might think he was a good heavyweight, but great?

Nah, don’t see it. However, this is all fantasy stuff, because the chances of Haye beating even one of the Klitschko brothers are remote at this point. Unless Wladimir suddenly gets really old overnight, and the same for Vitali, Haye will get knocked out and sent packing his bags to the cruiserweight division when they do fight.